Nobody was coming.
Prior to the spring of 1968, Wea Township declined to provide fire protection by funding a fire department or by contracting with other departments. A call for assistance with a fire might result in help from Dayton or Stockwell, and West Point did respond on one occasion. Usually no help was coming. That changed in 1968 when a decision was made to establish the Wea Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Building the station.
Ground was broken in December of 1968 for the first part of the station. The three bays in the rear of the station, along with restrooms and a kitchen, were well under way by early February. The first meeting was held on or about March 27th. A formal organizational meeting was held about the 14th of April. It was attended by about 40 volunteers. Vincent Faustich was elected Chief, with Harry Coy as 1st Assistant (Deputy) Chief, Charles Collins as 2nd Assistant Chief, Rex Bowman as Captain and Harold Boesch as Lieutenant. The first of the three trucks, a grass rig, was expected within a few weeks. The pumper and tanker were expected in August. The cost of the building was about $40,000 and the cost of the first three trucks was almost that much.
Chief Faustich was no stranger to the fire service. He had served the previous 17 years in the Lafayette Civil Defense Fire Department, the last 6 years as Chief. The grass rig arrived and training was started. The Wea Fire Department was accepted as a member of the Tippecanoe County Firemen’s Association on April 19th. Wea Township now had a formal mutual aid agreement with all other fire departments in the county.
The first run.
The Wea Fire Department made its first official fire run on July 7th, responding to the Windmere Motel for a car fire. The grass rig was the only truck in service at the time. At 4:45 PM, 35 Wea firemen were unable to save a 1959 station wagon. After all three trucks were in service, the department held an open house in December 1969.
Growing up.
Three additional bays were added to the front of the station in the ’70s. A 1953 GMC deuce-and-a-half tanker (404) came from the LFD, and a 1957 Civil Defense Dodge power wagon (405) was converted into a second tanker. By the late ’70s the chief officers were provided with portable radios, and by 1980 all officers had radios. Pagers were slowly obtained at the time, but we still depended on the ‘fire phone’ system for getting the calls.
In 1982 the first new truck was purchased, an FMC engine (406). In 1985 Rescue 405 was purchased and the old Dodge power wagon was retired. In 1988 an S&S tanker (404) was purchased; the old GMC had been destroyed in an accident. The fleet then consisted of 2 engines (401 and 406), 2 tankers (402 and 404), a grass rig (403) that was also used as a backup for medical runs, and Rescue 405. A small metal building was added to provide a bay for the grass rig and a larger meeting room.
Wea Township, along with Wabash Township, was among the first to provide first responder services in the late ’70s. Grass rig 403 was loaded (overloaded) with rescue and extrication gear and served well until 405 was purchased. That period saw the purchase of modern extrication equipment, the replacement of canvas bunker coats with Nomex, and the replacement of the old MSA helmets with modern fire-resistant and impact-resistant helmets. The department didn’t get to where it is today without the growing pains, struggles and sorrows that many, if not all, departments go through.
June 25, 2006.
In June of 2006, Wea Township Community Fire Department suffered its first line of duty death. On June 25th, during an afternoon thunderstorm that involved a lightning strike to a home on 700 South, Deputy Chief Steven Smith fell through the floor just inside the front door of the residence while checking for occupants. Deputy Chief Steven Smith never recovered from his injuries and died later the same day.
Still answering.
Now the department has some of the best firefighting and rescue apparatus available to us and the community it serves. Wea Fire Department is one of the top 4 busiest volunteer departments in Tippecanoe County, with an annual run volume of over 500 runs per calendar year. As Wea Township continues to grow as it has for the last several years, our requests for service continue to grow as well. The department is currently served by 1 paid firefighter during the day and an additional 25 men and women who are dedicated to the community, most of whom are state certified as First Responders or EMTs. The township now has a total of five county schools, versus one when the department was founded in 1968. The department has come a long way, but we still put out fires and provide EMS services to the residents of Wea Township and the surrounding townships when requested.